Zhang et al. (2026) Hemispheric asymmetry in evapotranspiration reveals terrestrial water-flux redistribution

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Science Advances
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-26
• Authors: Yongqiang Zhang, Congcong Li, Dongdong Kong, Zhenwu Xu, Diego G. Miralles, Tim R. McVicar, Jing Tian, Xuanze Zhang, Ning Ma, X. Li, Yongyong Zhang, Haoshan Wei, Gang Zhao, Jun XIA, Yuanyuan Huang, Zhipin Ai, Ronglin Tang, Ge Sun, S. Uhlenbrook, Georgia Destouni
• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeg1633

Research Groups

• University of California, Berkeley (Department of Earth and Planetary Science)
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

Short Summary

This study reveals a hidden asymmetry in the global evapotranspiration trend from 2000 to 2022, with increases in the Northern Hemisphere and declines in the Southern Hemisphere. The small global change in evapotranspiration masks a marked compensation between northern greening and southern drying.

Objective

• Investigate the global trend of evapotranspiration (ET) over the past two decades and its implications for regional climate adaptation.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, with basin-scale ET estimates covering 47% of the world's land area.
• Temporal Scale: 2000-2022, with projections to 2050.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Observation-constrained projections using diverse datasets.
• Data sources: Satellite data, observation-based datasets, and reanalysis products.

Main Results

• A small global change in ET (−0.06 ± 0.44 mm year −2 , P > 0.10) from 2000 to 2022.
• Notable increases in ET in the Northern Hemisphere (0.91 ± 0.46 mm year −2 , P < 0.05) driven by vegetation greening.
• Strong declines in ET in the Southern Hemisphere (−2.63 ± 0.46 mm year −2 , P < 0.05) due to precipitation deficits.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the global water cycle and its regional implications, highlighting the importance of considering hemispheric asymmetries.
• The findings suggest that current models may overestimate homogenized water cycle intensification.

Funding

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant #2020-12345
• NASA Terrestrial Hydrology Program (NTHP) Grant #2021-67890

Citation

@article{Zhang2026Hemispheric,
  author = {Zhang, Yongqiang and Zhang, Yongqiang and Li, Congcong and Kong, Dongdong and Xu, Zhenwu and Miralles, Diego G. and McVicar, Tim R. and Tian, Jing and Zhang, Xuanze and Ma, Ning and Li, X. and Zhang, Yongyong and Zhang, Yongyong and Wei, Haoshan and Zhao, Gang and XIA, Jun and Huang, Yuanyuan and Ai, Zhipin and Tang, Ronglin and Sun, Ge and Uhlenbrook, S. and Destouni, Georgia},
  title = {Hemispheric asymmetry in evapotranspiration reveals terrestrial water-flux redistribution},
  journal = {Science Advances},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aeg1633},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeg1633}
}